Kayla Alexander of Team Canada handles the ball against Australia at Stade Pierre Mauroy, in Lille, on Aug. 1.Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Canada’s women’s basketball team pushed hard until the final buzzer on Thursday.
Their relentless effort wasn’t enough.
The Canadians fell 70-65 to Australia in group play at the Paris Olympics, dropping to 0-2 in the tournament.
“I felt like we played hard. It was disappointing, the ending, because we were right there,” said Canadian centre Kayla Alexander, who had 10 points.
“I felt like at the end, though, we gave it our all, just trying to close that gap and get that W. Unfortunately we fell a little short, but I felt like we gave it our all and that we were relentless to the last second.”
Bridget Carleton led Canada with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Kia Nurse added 12.
Australia, which improved to 1-1 in pool play, got 19 points from guard Sami Whitcomb.
The two sides traded chances early on Thursday before Australia got off to a 9-0 run and took a 14-8 lead in the first quarter.
Canada regrouped and chipped away at the deficit before going up early in the second.
The Aussies rallied, retaking the lead midway through the frame, but Aaliyah Edwards appeared poised to ignite the Canadians with 11 seconds to go in the first half.
The WNBA rookie stole the ball and dished it to Alexander, who made a bucket in tight under pressure, and drew contact for a three-point play.
Cayla George snuffed out the momentum with a three-point buzzer beater that gave Australia a 38-32 lead going into the break.
Canada trimmed the deficit to two points in the third quarter, but couldn’t climb out of the hole.
“I think we did a great job in all of our roles except in one, in defence,” said Victor Lapena, Canada’s head coach.
The team had options offensively, but couldn’t execute, shooting 35 per cent from the field.
“I think this is the key,” Lapena said. “We need more than 65 points with Australia. We need more than 70 or 75 points to beat France. We’re working really hard. What (the players have) is all my confidence.”
Four-time Olympian Natalie Achonwa looked visibly frustrated in the second half after missing free throws.
“You can’t miss four free throws. In a tight game you can’t miss four free throws,” she said. “I think that’s where I was really hard on myself, because I’m better than that. But there’s other ways that I know I contributed to the game and it’s not points.”
Thursday’s result dims Canada’s chances of making it through to the knockout round, with just one game left in pool play against Nigeria on Sunday.
The top eight teams from the combined ranking will move on to the quarter-finals, set to begin on Wednesday.
After opening the tournament with a 75-62 loss to Nigeria, Australia will look to improve its odds of advancing Sunday when they face host France.
The French topped the Aussies during World Cup play back in 2022, and have grown since, said Australia’s head coach, Sandy Brondello.
“They look pretty good. They’ve got a lot of young players. They’re very versatile. They’re very long,” she said.
“They’ve got really good players. They play well together. You see that they’ve spent a lot of time together. They’re way better team than what they were two years ago. So we have to find a way to beat them. This is a do or die game.”
Canada’s hopes for moving on improved somewhat later on Thursday when France (2-0) beat Nigeria 75-54.
The Canadians will still be in a do-or-die situation when they face Nigeria (1-1) on Sunday. They may need results to go their way in other groups, too.
Even when the odds are stacked against them, the players are motivated by the fact that they’re playing for the Maple Leaf, Achonwa said.
“At the end of day, we play a kids’ game for a living,” she said. “And to know that we’re here representing Canada, we do that regardless of the score, regardless of the outcome. We do that with how we show up and how we continue to show up and how I know that if I leave everything on the floor.
“And if I play how I played today, if we play with grit and fight like we know that we can, I’d be proud to look any Canadian face and say that I represented you well.”
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